Borzin Mottaghian, 34, of Utah allegedly posed as a doctor in order to assault women. He has been charged with 17 felony counts of sexual assault and abuse. (Photo: Utah County Sheriffs)

A Utah man posing as a doctor on Craigslist is in jail after being charged with rape. Borzin Mottaghian, 34, and a married man with three children, was charged with 17 felony counts. If convicted, he could face life in prison.

The charges stem from encounters with three women, one of them an undercover police officer, in October.

According to court documents, Mottaghian lured women to an office suite in Provo, Utah, via an ad on Craigslist offering $200 for participating in “anatomy research” for a “new medical device.”

The first woman met him on Oct. 18. In emails exchanged between the two, he assured her that he was a real doctor. When she arrived, he had her sign a nondisclosure form before disrobing. He claimed that he was developing a new kind of medical catheter. Mottaghian is not a medical doctor, but he does reportedly own restaurants in Provo, Utah, and claims to be a Marines veteran and hold a law degree.

During the “examination,” Mottaghian allegedly photographed the woman’s genitals and sexually assaulted her with his fingers and a metal rod.

In the second encounter, he told the woman that the exam was to help develop a new kind of tampon. According to documents, the woman was “disturbed by the nature of the examination, put her clothes on, and excused herself to go use the restroom.” She called police shortly after.

In their investigation of the matter, police responded to the Craigslist ad and set up an appointment with Mottaghian on Oct. 25. A female undercover officer arrived, and once again Mottaghian claimed to be a doctor conducting research. Moments later, before the officer was to disrobe, police arrived with a search warrant and arrested Mottaghian.

After posting bail, Mottaghian was rebooked the next day on suspicion of identical crimes at $250,000 cash bail after the second woman spoke with police.

Mottaghian has been charged with 12 counts of object rape and two counts of attempted object rape. He also stands accused of two counts of second-degree felony forcible sex abuse and one count of third-degree felony attempted forcible sex abuse.